Hiring Tulane’s offensive coordinator, on paper, isn’t something that would normally excite a fanbase.
To be fair, though, a coach with the resume of new Georgia Tech OC Chip Long is rarely one that ends up on staff with the Green Wave.
Long, a former member of the Rivals Top 25 Recruiters list that has signed several Rivals100 members including assisting in the recruitment of a five-star WR in the 2020 class, spent last season as Tulane’s offensive coordinator.
Prior that stint, Long spent time at Tennessee and Notre Dame.
Long is most known, publicly, for two accomplishments-
The first coach that Long worked closely with for an extended period of time was Bobby Petrino.
He was a GA for him at Louisville, and then held the same level of role at Arkansas after Petrino left.
In his time in football, Long has been a part of 5 Top 25 recruiting classes, including:
Arizona State
2014- 21
2015- 20
Notre Dame
2018- 11
2019- 14
2020- 22
When thinking of Long the recruiter, many are quick to assume that the majority of his success was due to the logo of the school (ND) he was recruiting for.
They would be wrong in that assumption.
While at Arizona State, Long played a big role in the signing of five-star WR N’Keal Harry.
Four-star signees from his time in Tempe-
QB Brady White (California)
DT Dalvon Stuckey (JUCO)
DE Connor Humphreys (Oregon)
S Jay Jay Wilson (California)
ATH Kalen Ballage (Colorado)
CB Robbie Robinson (Maryland)
While his time at Memphis was memorable on-the-field, recruiting for him there never got too in-depth due to him being one-and-done in the city of dreams.
Still with me? So far, Long has signed one five-star and six four-stars in his coaching career, coming from six different states.
At Notre Dame, things escalated in a hurry with Long and recruiting. This is also when Long began being able to use his roots in the Southeast to his advantage.
Long’s biggest recruiting successes, though, happened primarily in areas where Notre Dame had already been successful previously. His relationships, the allure of playing for Notre Dame, and the upward trajectory of the program all played a factor in his rise to being a top 25 recruiter nationally.
Prior to parting ways with Notre Dame following the 2019 season, Long had his finger prints all over the 2020 class for the Fighting Irish. From the Top 25 recruits write-up-
“Brian Kelly decided to part ways with his offensive coordinator after the season, but the impact Long had on this Notre Dame class cannot be understated.
Long brought in two of the top five tight end prospects in the 2020 class, including Michael Mayer, who was ranked as the No. 36 prospect in the country. Long was also responsible for landing Rivals100 running back Chris Tyree out of Virginia, and gave big assists on five-star wide receiver Jordan Johnson, four-star quarterback Drew Pyne and three-star receiver Xavier Watts.”
Here’s a list of players he played a role in signing in each class-
2018
TE George Takacs (5.8, FL)
ATH Braden Lenzy (5.8, OR)
TE Tommy Tremble (5.7, GA)
WR Lawrence Keys (5.7, LA)
RB Jahmir Smith (5.7, NC)
OT Luke Jones (5.7, AR)
OT Cole Mabry (5.6, TN)
2019
OT Quinn Carroll (6.0, MN)
OT John Olmstead (5.9, NJ)
ATH Cam Hart (5.6, MD)
2020
WR Jordan Johnson (6.1, MO)
TE Michael Mayer (6.0, KY)
RB Chris Tyree (5.9, VA)
QB Drew Pyne (5.9, CT)
OT Tosh Baker (5.9, AZ)
TE Kevin Bauman (5.9, NJ)
WR Xavier Watts (5.7, NE)
In all, Long has either been the primary or secondary recruiter on signees from the following states-
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maryland
Minnesota
Missouri
Mississippi (JUCO)
Nebraska
New Jersey
North Carolina
Oregon
Tennessee
Virginia
With Long being involved in the recruitment of so many different states, it is important to remember that the footprint of the Fighting Irish is national. They recruit nationally.
As a result, recruiting high-character prospects at prestigious academic schools around the country will not feel new to him whatsoever.
At GT, his biggest chances for recruiting wins will be in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and possibly the DMV or Northeast, depending on how things play out.
Long will need to hit the ground running with Rivals250 signal-caller Dylan Lonergan. When JOL reached out to Lonergan regarding the hire, he said that he was eager to learn more about the scheme, and to grow the relationship with Long as well as building on the ones he has with the others on staff he is already familiar with.
There are several other big-name players at the position that will likely emerge and visit in the coming weeks and months, but the goal will be to have a 2023 QB commit much earlier than they landed their QB in the current cycle.
Getting out on the road, both so far this week and again in January when things open back up, will be huge for Long as he gets back to doing one of the things he loves doing the most.
Speaking to sources around the industry, many believe that Long will do very well recruiting at Georgia Tech. Being an Alabama native, he may also be able to take on the territory in the state that was opened up by the recent staff departures.
The more people I spoke with regarding Long’s abilities on the trail, the more it became clear that Long is not your typical OC when it comes to recruiting.
An OC can be pretty hands off, other than the position they are responsible for coaching or their assigned areas. Previous OC at Georgia Tech, Dave Patenaude, would recruit QB’s and prospects in the northeast.
Long is labeled as a grinder. A coach that will get after it, both in terms of evaluating kids and when it comes down to closing time. He is expected to have a much larger role in recruiting overall than his predecessor.
To be fair, though, a coach with the resume of new Georgia Tech OC Chip Long is rarely one that ends up on staff with the Green Wave.
Long, a former member of the Rivals Top 25 Recruiters list that has signed several Rivals100 members including assisting in the recruitment of a five-star WR in the 2020 class, spent last season as Tulane’s offensive coordinator.
Prior that stint, Long spent time at Tennessee and Notre Dame.
Long is most known, publicly, for two accomplishments-
- Being the choice for new Memphis HC Mike Norvell and Memphis for one season, as they both left Arizona State. His offense would then light the conference on fire, leading him into his next spot at Notre Dame
- At Notre Dame, Long was a Broyles Award finalist in 2018.
The first coach that Long worked closely with for an extended period of time was Bobby Petrino.
He was a GA for him at Louisville, and then held the same level of role at Arkansas after Petrino left.
In his time in football, Long has been a part of 5 Top 25 recruiting classes, including:
Arizona State
2014- 21
2015- 20
Notre Dame
2018- 11
2019- 14
2020- 22
When thinking of Long the recruiter, many are quick to assume that the majority of his success was due to the logo of the school (ND) he was recruiting for.
They would be wrong in that assumption.
While at Arizona State, Long played a big role in the signing of five-star WR N’Keal Harry.
Four-star signees from his time in Tempe-
QB Brady White (California)
DT Dalvon Stuckey (JUCO)
DE Connor Humphreys (Oregon)
S Jay Jay Wilson (California)
ATH Kalen Ballage (Colorado)
CB Robbie Robinson (Maryland)
While his time at Memphis was memorable on-the-field, recruiting for him there never got too in-depth due to him being one-and-done in the city of dreams.
Still with me? So far, Long has signed one five-star and six four-stars in his coaching career, coming from six different states.
At Notre Dame, things escalated in a hurry with Long and recruiting. This is also when Long began being able to use his roots in the Southeast to his advantage.
Long’s biggest recruiting successes, though, happened primarily in areas where Notre Dame had already been successful previously. His relationships, the allure of playing for Notre Dame, and the upward trajectory of the program all played a factor in his rise to being a top 25 recruiter nationally.
Prior to parting ways with Notre Dame following the 2019 season, Long had his finger prints all over the 2020 class for the Fighting Irish. From the Top 25 recruits write-up-
“Brian Kelly decided to part ways with his offensive coordinator after the season, but the impact Long had on this Notre Dame class cannot be understated.
Long brought in two of the top five tight end prospects in the 2020 class, including Michael Mayer, who was ranked as the No. 36 prospect in the country. Long was also responsible for landing Rivals100 running back Chris Tyree out of Virginia, and gave big assists on five-star wide receiver Jordan Johnson, four-star quarterback Drew Pyne and three-star receiver Xavier Watts.”
Here’s a list of players he played a role in signing in each class-
2018
TE George Takacs (5.8, FL)
ATH Braden Lenzy (5.8, OR)
TE Tommy Tremble (5.7, GA)
WR Lawrence Keys (5.7, LA)
RB Jahmir Smith (5.7, NC)
OT Luke Jones (5.7, AR)
OT Cole Mabry (5.6, TN)
2019
OT Quinn Carroll (6.0, MN)
OT John Olmstead (5.9, NJ)
ATH Cam Hart (5.6, MD)
2020
WR Jordan Johnson (6.1, MO)
TE Michael Mayer (6.0, KY)
RB Chris Tyree (5.9, VA)
QB Drew Pyne (5.9, CT)
OT Tosh Baker (5.9, AZ)
TE Kevin Bauman (5.9, NJ)
WR Xavier Watts (5.7, NE)
In all, Long has either been the primary or secondary recruiter on signees from the following states-
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maryland
Minnesota
Missouri
Mississippi (JUCO)
Nebraska
New Jersey
North Carolina
Oregon
Tennessee
Virginia
With Long being involved in the recruitment of so many different states, it is important to remember that the footprint of the Fighting Irish is national. They recruit nationally.
As a result, recruiting high-character prospects at prestigious academic schools around the country will not feel new to him whatsoever.
At GT, his biggest chances for recruiting wins will be in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and possibly the DMV or Northeast, depending on how things play out.
Long will need to hit the ground running with Rivals250 signal-caller Dylan Lonergan. When JOL reached out to Lonergan regarding the hire, he said that he was eager to learn more about the scheme, and to grow the relationship with Long as well as building on the ones he has with the others on staff he is already familiar with.
There are several other big-name players at the position that will likely emerge and visit in the coming weeks and months, but the goal will be to have a 2023 QB commit much earlier than they landed their QB in the current cycle.
Getting out on the road, both so far this week and again in January when things open back up, will be huge for Long as he gets back to doing one of the things he loves doing the most.
Speaking to sources around the industry, many believe that Long will do very well recruiting at Georgia Tech. Being an Alabama native, he may also be able to take on the territory in the state that was opened up by the recent staff departures.
The more people I spoke with regarding Long’s abilities on the trail, the more it became clear that Long is not your typical OC when it comes to recruiting.
An OC can be pretty hands off, other than the position they are responsible for coaching or their assigned areas. Previous OC at Georgia Tech, Dave Patenaude, would recruit QB’s and prospects in the northeast.
Long is labeled as a grinder. A coach that will get after it, both in terms of evaluating kids and when it comes down to closing time. He is expected to have a much larger role in recruiting overall than his predecessor.
